While the way back to a specific point in time was closed off, it didn't pose a significant problem for me.

It was painful to have the Relic stolen and to remain ignorant of the identity of that robed figure, but it wasn’t as if anyone had died, nor did I have a desire to turn back time.

Therefore, I needed to take more definitive steps to confirm things before encountering that figure again on my return journey.

For instance, I could explore the royal library more thoroughly, checking the contents of the books.

Years ago, when I first entered there, it had already been a place not easily accessible even to a princess, and it remained so now.

But I had already been inside once.

In the game, I had entered many times and learned which parts were vulnerable, and I had actually scouted the internal structure a few times as well.

…Though it was far more difficult to get in now than it had been a few years ago.

As the noise of the hydraulic cylinders echoed loudly, I thought about how difficult it was to crawl flat like this. It wasn’t impossible, but—

Whenever characters with large busts in subculture make remarks about envying flatter characters, complaining of shoulder pain or unease while going down stairs because they couldn’t see their feet, it struck me how relatable those sentiments were in various ways.

When wearing the academy uniform, if I didn’t secure my chest tightly, it became painfully difficult to run.

“…Hah.”

I stopped crawling and let out a deep sigh.

Above me, large gears turned, and the hydraulic cylinders moved steadily, emitting the sounds of well-oiled machinery. Fortunately, there were no steam-spewing machines here.

The “forbidden library” was hidden deep within the palace, in the very depths of the underground. Generally, there was no way to go down without taking an elevator, and even the entrance to that elevator was protected by thick steel doors, with countless guards both inside and outside that room.

When Alice and Leo infiltrated the palace, they had also decided against heading that way.

Under normal circumstances, it was somewhat strange to avoid a few enemies when my character could take on four to six heavily armed soldiers at once… but then again, in a world where bullets could penetrate people, characters could survive even after taking several hits with potions or recovery magic in battle.

In any case, the two had chosen this maintenance passage.

The palace was equipped with interpretation and stabilization devices. Unlike semiconductors used in CPUs, a large steam engine was necessary to produce machines that performed “computer-like” functions. Within it, numerous large and small gears, levers, and hydraulic cylinders turned endlessly, displaying information on something akin to a “screen.”

Of course, with so many parts, there were many points of failure. Countless components, from those as large as a person to tiny gears the size of those found in wristwatches, meant that they needed to be regularly repaired as their lifespans expired.

And, naturally, there was an entrance for going around to make those repairs.

Though that entrance was guarded by people, it was, after all, “generally” not a place one could enter to reach the forbidden library. I had to find a way into areas that seemed impossible for anyone to access, like this one.

Thanks to Alice and Leo having read the palace schematics in advance, they managed to get in.

I already knew that path.

…If I could turn back time, I could just pass through that entrance…

But after spending years talking with the people who worked in the palace, it felt… well, awkward to do so.

At least I was fortunate to have this method.

*

Initially, I had thought it was merely a dungeon, but it was remarkable how it resembled the image I had stored in my memory when I actually entered. It was such a complex place that I got lost several times, rewinding time as I went in.

Indeed, it was a dungeon.

That was part of why I had brought a gun with me.

While lost in thought, I pushed the gun forward and continued moving steadily. I felt that perhaps after spending this time, I had built some muscle, and it was manageable to crawl slowly.

“Ugh.”

As I crawled out with a groan—

Creak, creak.

The sound of a poorly oiled machine echoed through the air.

Creak, creak, it was a sound of gears turning that was dissonant with the footfalls of a beast.

I stood up, holding my loaded gun and looking ahead.

It was dimly lit, but not entirely dark. The room was faintly illuminated by glowing mana stones.

A figure clad in armor was moving around inside the room.

On one arm, where a hand should be, there was a sword attached, while on the other arm was a short firearm.

But it had no legs. It looked as if its waist had been severed and was simply stuck to a pole.

Of course, since that figure was entirely mechanical, it didn’t feel particularly brutal.

Like a moving target in a shooting range, it was fixed within the long iron bar extending from the floor. The sounds of gears turning echoed from within.

It would probably move around, tracing lines on the floor as it followed me.

…They were security devices installed intermittently because it was hard for people to remain inside.

Though they were infinitely dumber than humans.

I raised my weapon and aimed at one of the moving targets.

I knew their weak points. In games, the dramatic moment of striking a weakness only came after hitting their HP to zero, but this wasn’t a game.

Bang!

With that sound, one of the machines, cleanly pierced through the iron plate on its back, slumped forward. Even so, the iron bar kept moving, and the machine that had stopped working staggered as it adapted to the motion of the bar.

Fortunately, it seemed the security system hadn’t changed.

But as soon as I confirmed that one of the machines had ceased functioning, the remaining two turned swiftly toward me.

First the right, then the left.

Good.

Again!

*

Before the right could fully turn, I swiftly pivoted and shot.

The front armor of those machines wasn’t something a regular rifle could penetrate. It was better to eliminate the two quickly first before dealing with the next one.

As I saw the last one turning toward me, I rolled on the ground.

The machine fired its weapon the moment it turned. With a dull thud, a barrage of shotgun pellets erupted from the floor where I had just been, creating a shower of sparks.

Truly, I was grateful that they operated on gears.

In a world without cameras that could stream live footage or motion detection sensors like lasers, the only way the machine could assess the situation was through physical impact.

The floor of this room was densely packed with tiny switches, and except for the area where the caretaker could descend, every other area was a danger zone. If I stepped on the wrong one, the machine would immediately fire bullets in my direction.

I had to figure out which direction the gears were rolling from and assess the source of the impact… All of that couldn’t happen simultaneously. After all, I would only be able to comprehend it once the gears had already started rolling.

Thud, thud, I kept dodging and moving as the machines continued firing at the spot where I had been.

The sight of a machine rapidly approaching me along the fastest rail was honestly a bit chilling, but it wasn’t as if I had never faced anything like this before.

Bang!

I fired once, barely managing to slip away as it turned toward me—if I had just a little more time, the machine might have been able to shoot me.

Bang! Bang!

Still, I was slightly faster as I had already anticipated its movements.

Having moved to the side of the machine, I fired two shots into its flank. Creak, creak, some parts seemed to fly off, preventing it from turning its waist.

I quickly moved behind the machine and fired one last shot.

Only after the most critical component on its back had been taken out did the machine slump down. The remaining two machines continued to move toward me, still determined to follow, as the iron bar on the floor kept them moving at a steady pace.

Without time to waste, I headed straight for the next passage. The switches on the floor not only activated those machines but also signaled an intruder’s presence to the outside.

In truth, under normal circumstances, even if I gathered information, I would have lost every means of escape.

But not me.